ATLANTA  – The red hot UT Arlington Lady Mavericks turn the page on a stellar nonconference on Thursday when it opens Sun Belt Conference action at Georgia State on Thursday night at 5 p.m. CT at the GSU Sports Arena. 

The Lady Mavs went 8-3 in non-league play, the most wins in nonconference in program history, and are riding a five-game road winning streak that is the team's longest since taking seven consecutive in 2009. The east coast has been kind to UTA under the direction of coach Krista Gerlich with a 14-4 record in the Eastern Time Zone, while amassing a 13-3 overall record against the next two foes in GSU and Georgia Southern. 

UTA is coming off its third consecutive win against crosstown rival SMU, taking the 25-point margin after scoring the most it has in program history in a single quarter with 34 points scored in the final 10 minutes on Saturday. The Lady Mavs forced 29 Mustang turnovers, helped along by a career-high six steals from Lauren Billie. Terryn Milton posted her seventh consecutive double-digit scoring effort with a game-high 16 points, while Cierra Johnson tallied 15, 11 coming at the charity stripe. Johnson moved up in the all-time Lady Mav history books as she is 16th in scoring with 1,051 over her illustrious career. 

Three of the last four matchups with the Georgia squads in the league came down to the wire, including taking an overtime thriller in Atlanta against Georgia State last year. UTA outscored GSU 47-32 in the first 20 minutes, but saw the lead get flipped in the final minutes by a frantic comeback. A late steal would tie the game, while UTA picked up the victory in the overtime period. Against Georgia Southern, a late comeback bid fell short for UTA, falling for the first time against the Eagles. 

FOLLOWING THE LADY MAVERICKS 
Thursday's matchup will mark the first of a pair on the road this week featured on ESPN+. Fans that already subscribe to the service for home games will get access to the action on the road. 

All of UTA's 14 home games at College Park Center will be featured on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year and cancel anytime. Fans wishing to see behind-the-scenes action and get updates from the court are encouraged to follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/ladymavhoops. Live stats for each of UTA's games can be found at UTAStats.com. 
 
KNOWLEDGE NUGGETS
UTA is 7-2 against Georgia State all-time and 4-1 at GSU Sports Arena... Laurynn McGowen leads returners from last year's road contest with 20 points. Cierra Johnson - out last year - has scored 12.8 points per game in five games played against the Panthers... UTA is 17th in the nation in turnover margin at 6.18... The longest road winning streak in program history is eight achieved in the 2007 season... UTA is seeking its 650th program win... UTA is 7-0 when it forces more turnovers, but 0-3 when giving up more... UTA is 7-1 when leading after the third quarter... Johnson needs 19 points to move into 15th in UTA scoring history. She is 13 steals away from tying the UTA all-time mark with 272 in her career. 
 
COACHING STAFF
UTA coach Krista Gerlich is in her sixth season at the helm of UTA and enters with a record of 252-130 overall and 84-78 at UTA. Talby Justus was named the program's associate head coach during the offseason, while Jordan Vessels was named an assistant coach after serving as the team's Director of Operations. Assistant coach Ashley Crawford remains the team's recruiting coordinator. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Lady Mavs travel to Statesboro, Ga. to close the three-game road trip in facing Georgia Southern. UTA fell in its last trip to GS. UTA returns home on Jan. 10 when it hosts Appalachian State and then Costal Carolina on Jan. 12.
 
HOME TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets start at just $6 for women and $8 for men, with group rates, military discounts and other cost-saving packages available as well. For additional information related to group tickets, contact Assistant Director of Marketing & Outbound Sales Jeremy Malnes at 817-272-9607 or via email at jeremy.malnes@uta.edu. Season tickets also remain on sale for as low as $50 per seat. For seating options and pricing, as well as Maverick Club benefits, click here. 

Additionally, with a purchase of men's basketball season tickets (Starting at $99), fans are eligible to receive complimentary season tickets to women's basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball for the entire 2018-19 season via the Mav Mania All Sports Pass. For more information on opting in to this complimentary package, or for any other season-ticket questions, please contact the UTA Box Office at 817-272-9595 or visit the College Park Center during regular business hours.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to enhance public safety and the fan experience, for all UTA men's and women's home games this season the College Park Center will implement a clear-bag policy. All purses, containers, backpacks or anything larger than a small clutch bag are prohibited, and items must be placed in a clear tote bag not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12". For more information, fans are encouraged to visitUTAMavs.com/BasketballGameday.